In July 23rd 1892 Emperor Haile Selassie, the last emperor in the Ethiopian monarchy,was born in Harar city in eastern Ethiopia. As a child he was known as Lij Tafari Makonnen. Lij means a ‘child’ and Tafari means ‘one who is respected or feared’. Born in line of royalty,Haile Selassie rose to the highest ranks for the four decades that he was the Imperial Emperor of Ethiopia before he died in August 28th1975 a year after he was overthrown by the Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974. His father Ras Makonnen was the provincial governor of Harar and he served as a General in the first Italo - Ethiopian war.
Source: http://english.cntv.cn/